Happy Fathers’ Day and Happy Eid-ul Adha

By Benjamin Pulle Niriwa, In Gender and Religious Peace. 16.06.2024. 

Figure 1: Our differences are not the problems, but our mentalities.

Peace on earth without any gender, especially man, playing significant role is nothing but a night mere! God in His divine wisdom has ordained man as the head of every family for a reason (Genesis, 2:18, 21-22, KJV). Activities of some feminists’ activists are essential for promoting global peace. However, the too much emphasis on empowering one gender at the expense of another is a bombshell waiting to explode (Halperin, 2023; Aggestam & Eitrem Holmgren, 2022; Lwamba et al., 2022). It was very rear for a lady to openly cry out for a marriage relationship. It is now common to see ladies openly complaining of no man approaching them for a relationship (Ambajay., 2024).

Yet, there are also some men who are thirsty for marriage and wish they could be married. What is even very worrying now is that; proposing to some ladies is like a crime! Some ladies are seen openly abusing some men for proposing to them. Unlike men, some ladies are heard telling their dates that they are not their “class” (Figure 1).

What makes people and some religions violent is the environment! If the environment is toxic, the mentalities of some people cannot be delinked from this toxicity. Our ways of thinking, the sorts of comments that we pass or hear and how we treat our neighbors are some of the causes of these environmental toxins! To better celebrate men on this special day, cast your minds on the challenges that some mean faced even before they get married to their lovely wives! Urines were poured on some men but they persisted until they finally got married to their dream wives who poured urines on them. Aside these humiliations; providing for family members is mostly the responsibility of men!

Some feminists’ activities who truly have the well fare of women at heart; should be concerned about the too much empowerment of one gender over the other. Women are naturally created to submit to their husbands or partners in every relationship. Men are also tasked to always love their wives and care for them as the family heads (Genesis, 2:18, 21-22, KJV). Women in the past were mostly respectful and submissive than in this civilized world. Even elderly women, in the past, were respectful to any man they meet; irrespective of the age. Being submissive or being the family head does not make one gender more important or superior than the other. So, the general society were always protecting women too, though there were no laws enforced to protect them.

There is an increased misconception that men are mostly aggressive than women (Pulle, 2020; Helman & Ratele, 2018). But from scientific research, violence behaviors or aggressions are not determined by one’s gender (Meyer-Parlapanis et al., 2015).  Unfortunately, when some men report that they have been abused; they are mostly ridiculed (Dickerson-Amaya & Coston, 2019) or even victimized (Brooks et al., 2017).

Democracy on would become “democrazy” only people allow political (Besaw, 2021), religious (Muggah & Velshi, 2019) and other differences to divide them. In all these, man is always the one leading! Though men are not inherently violent, these violence behaviors have created bad image about masculinity, this can create hopelessness. Risky behaviors like violence put your health and that of others at risk. These behaviors are not proof of masculinity, they are threats to “health, peace and entrepreneurship” (Pulle, 2022).

God/Allah did not give separate Commandments to different prophets (Exodus a. , 20: 2-17. 1611. KJV). He gave only one sets of Commandments to only Moses to the world. Besides, there is nowhere in the Ten (10) Commandments specifying that religious members can kill in the name of God/Allah. God/Allah is a living “Being” who can speak as can be seen when He called Moses (Exodus, 3-13. 1611. KJV).

He is a God who can kill, as can be seen when the then King of Egypt hardened his heart to let the Israelites go (Exodus, 3-13. 1611. KJV). The same is seen when they yet hardened their hearts and chased after them on their way (Exodus., 14:5-31). So, there is no justification for killing ourselves for the claim of blasphemy (Pauldoski., 2022)! We are asked not to judge; for whatever measure of judgments, we give would be measured unto us (Matthew., 7: 1-2. 1611. KJV). If judgment is to the Lord, why do we take the law into our own hands in the name of fighting for God/Allah?

The best that we can give to world; as fathers is PEACE. As we celebrate world’s fathers’ day, the world is crying out to you for help because you can. Create hope in your child/children using positive masculinity: do not create hopelessness using negative masculinity.

Thank you for Reading!

References

Aggestam, K., & Eitrem Holmgren, L. (2022). The Gender-Resilience Nexus in Peacebuilding: The Quest for Sustainable Peace. J Int Relat Dev (Ljubl), 25(4): 880-901. Doi: 10.1057/s41268-022-00269-9. Epub 2022 Jul 29. PMID: 35919634; PMCID: PMC9336158. PubMe.

Ambajay. (2024). I Need a Man to Marry Me I’m Ready to Pay My Own Dowry – A Desperate 45-Years-Old Woman Cries Out. Entertainment, Retrieved on 15.06.2024 at 10:00 PM from; https://www.ambajay.com/i-need-a-man-to-marry-me-im-ready-to-pay-my-own-dowry-a-desperate-45-years-old-woman-cries-out.

Besaw, C. (2021). Election Violence Spike Worldwide in 2020 – Will This Year Be Better? Retrieved from https://www.google.com/amp/s/theconversation.com/amp/election-violence-spiked-worldwide-in-2020-will-this-year-be-better-153975 on 14.06.2022 at 4:31 AM.

Exodus. (3-13. 1611. KJV). THE SECOND BOOK OF MOSES CALLED, EXODUS. In K. James, The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments (pp. 62-74). London: Cambridge University Press.

Exodus, a. (20: 2-17. 1611. KJV). THE SECOND BOOK OF MOSES CALLED EXODUS. In K. James, The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments (p. 81). London: Cambridge University Press.

Exodus. (14:5-31). THE SECOND BOOK OF MOSES CALLED EXODUS. In K. James, The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments (pp. 74-76). London: Cambridge University Press.

Halperin, L. (2023). Beyond Clueless Mothers: Israeli “Women Wage Peace” Activists’ Perceptions of Why Women Are Key to Peacemaking, Social Politics. Intern Studies Gender, State & Society, 2023: jxad027. Doi: 10.1093/sp/jxad027.

Lwamba, E., Shisler, S., Ridlehoover, W., Kupfer, M., Tshabalala, N., Nduku, P., Langer, L., Grant, S., Sonnenfeld, A., Anda, D., Eyers, J., & Snilstveit, B. (2022). Strengthening Women's Empowerment and Gender Equality in Fragile Contexts Towards Peaceful and Inclusive Societies: A systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Campbell Syst Rev, 18(1): e1214. Doi: 10.1002/cl2.1214. PMID: 36913184; PMCID: PMC8904729. PubMed.

Matthew. (7: 1-2. 1611. KJV). THE NEW TESTAMENT of Our Lord and Saviour JESUS CHRIST. In K. James, The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments (p. 890). London: Cambridge University Press.

Muggah, R., & Velshi, A. (2019). Religious Violence Is On the Rise. What Can Faith-Based Communities Do About It? J WEF, Retrieved on 20.06.19 at 6:17PM from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/02/how-should-faith-communities-halt-the-rise-in-religious-violence/.

Nawa, F. (2019). Women & Girls: As 'fed up' women in Turkey leave marriages, domestic violence and divorce rates rise. The World, Retrieved from https://www.pri.org/stories/2019-02-20/fed-women-turkey-leave-marriages-domestic-violence-and-divorce-rates-rise on 04.07.2020 around 3:18AM.

Pauldoski. (2022). Imam of Abuja National Mosque Release Shocking Statement about Killing Of Female Christian Student In Sokoto (Details below). Crime, Retrieved on 13.06.2022 at 2:18 AM from https://edujandon.com/2022/05/imam-of-abuja-national-mosque-release-shocking-statement-about-killing-of-female-christian-student-in-sokoto-details-below.html/.

Pulle, B. N. (2020). Role of the 21st Century Father in Promoting Global Peace amidst Emerging/Re-Emerging Infections, Like Covid-19; a Review. IOSR-JHSS, 25(7): 47-54. Doi: 10.9790/0837-2507134754.

Pulle, B. N. (2022). Identifying the 5Ps of Life for Global Peace, Health and Entrepreneurship: Prayers, Preparation, Patience, Praises, and PEACE. IOSR-JHSS, 27(1) Series 6: 56-72. Doi: 10.9790/0837-2701065672.

HAPPY AFRICAN UNION DAY, 2024

 

HAPPY AFRICAN UNION DAY

By Benjamin Pulle Niriwa. In Peace and Unity, 25.05.2024.

It has been a long time since I posted on the Africans Union’s Day! The last time I posted that I could remember was 2017. The reality about life is that, for most fruits, someone has to climb the tree in order to pluck them for those standing on the floor. If the one on the tree does not want to send some down to those on the floor; when he/she gets down there would be no fruit to eat. That is how leadership is!

A leader who builds the economy without stealing from the citizens, builds it for himself or herself. Every leader wants a good name but it is not every leader that deserves a good name. True Africa’s Unity requires strategic, supportive and selfless leadership. Division at any part of the globe is a global division. So, promoting Africa’s Unity is promotion of World’s Unity (Figure1)! 

Figure 1: Promote African's Unity to Promote Global Unity.

The safest environment on earth is the one without hungry people. The more people go hungry: the more they would look for alternatives of surviving. Self-Assessment Is Peace! Unity in Africa with increasing “Coup d’états” is nothing but a mirage (Chin & Kirkpatrick, 2023; Duzor & Williamson, 2023). Let us self-assess our political systems which are obviously the main reasons for increased coups.

True unity will be realized only when we have change of hearts and minds, and say a very BIG NO to any form of negativity, especially “dirty politics” (Shook et al., 2017). It is a shame, if in this democratic world, politics still continues to divide even people of the same country. If we cannot genuinely be united as a country because of our differences, how can we be united as a continent?

Democratically elected persons, in most parts of the world, turn around to behave as if they have gained power through a coupe’ d’état! These behaviors to me are modern forms of slavery. People because of their political affiliations, live like strangers in their own lands/countries. How can you call this Unity?

 

References

Chin, J., J., & Kirkpatrick, J. (2023). African Coups in the COVID-19 Era: A Current History. Front. Polit. Sci, 5:1077945. Doi: 10.3389/fpos.2023.1077945. PubMed.

Duzor, M., & Williamson, B. (2023). BY THE NUMBERS: COUPS IN AFRICA. VOA News, Retrieved from; https://projects.voanews.com/african-coups on 25.05.2024 at 11:42 AM.

Shook, N., J., Oosterhoff, B., Terrizzi, J., A., Jr., & Brady, K., M. (2017). Shook, N., J., Oosterhoff, B., Terrizzi, J., A., Jr., & Brady, K., M. (2017). “Dirty politics”: The Role of Disgust Sensitivity In Voting. Transla Issues Psychol Sci, 3 (3): 284-297. Doi: 10.1037/tps0000111.

 

Ghana Deserves Recognition as the Role Model for Religious Tolerance and Peace, 2. Happy Eid-ul Fitri, 2024.

By Benjamin Pulle Niriwa, 10.04.2024. In Religious Peace for Quality Health and Development.

Though it is true that no human being can please Allah without faith, the universe can be a junior Heaven if believers really practice the teachings of the Holy Books. Issues of violence that we normally see in the Holy Books are used to warn believers against violent acts. God rewards people who diligently worship Him with pure hearts (Hebrews, 11:6; Quran., 5:9; Quran 2: 82. Quran 45:30). Anyone who genuinely worships Allah with a purity of heart, in normal situation, will never plan evil against his neighbor; especially when that person has caused no harm or offense.

The Holy Books are however not teaching believers to be cowards, but a believer can fight for his or her right with not with the intention of destroying. One Surah that I like most in the Noble Holy Quran is the verse that encourages people to be tolerant about their religious differences. This verse says that: “There is no compulsion where the religion is concerned” (Quran, 2:256). This Quranic Surah is no different from what Jesus himself was telling the Pharisees lawyer who secretly planned to entrap him by asking him questions. Jesus did not use a blood relation of the Pharisees lawyer as his neighbor; rather he used someone who, in those days, was supposed to be his worst enemy as neighbor (Matthew 22: 34-40). 

             Figure 1: Promote Religious Peace for National and Internal Economic Growth.

The parable that Jesus gave agrees with many verses of both major Holy Books – the Holy Bible and Holy Quran. The Holy Bible teaching Christians to love their enemies (Matthew 5:44-47) and even provide them with food when they go hungry (Proverbs, 25:21) is not different from the Holy Quran teaching Muslims to be religious tolerance (Quran, 2:256). The Holy Quran says that it is practicing “… The ways of peace” (Quran 5:16) where believers are always encouraged to reconcile (Quran 4:128) for peace, since Allah do not like violence and encourages peaceful co-existence (Quran 2:205).  

Quran 56: 25-26 says that people who are true believers do no use abusive words on each other. All that you always hear them say is, “Peace, peace” (Steinhauer, 2016). Once peace loving is turned into hatred, human dignity becomes nothing but a mirage! Naturally when someone is tagged as an enemy, he/she is mostly considered as a threat. So, discrimination and stigmatization are normally meted out against that person. This is one of the reasons why both major Holy Books are always preaching that believers should love even those that they know hate them (Google.com, 2015; Matthew 5:44-47).

What normally creates problems between people is when they begin to see each other as competitors! Competing is not a bad thing if the competition is a healthy one (Otten, 2022). But when it is an unhealthy one, it could be very deadly (Otten, 2022; Barker & Barclay, 2016). Most political, religious, and Chieftaincy violence occurs as a result of this unhealthy competition but not the healthy one!

Irrespective of one’s status in society, in a violent environment everyone is vulnerable. Though a bullet might be directed toward someone specifically, what will happen if that person dodges the bullet and another person is standing behind? Everyone can be a victim during violence like reported in the Bawku’s old but recurrent Chieftaincy war and in Nigeria (Online, 2023; Lawal, 2022; Seidu, 2022). In the case of the Nigeria Boko Haram’s insurgence, even people who are very influential and mostly regarded as untouchable were also victims (Lawal, 2022). In the Bawku war in Ghana here, even someone who has no linkage with any of the fighting royalties became a victim; just because he was found at the wrong place at the wrong time (Seidu, 2022).

As Ghana is going into the polls this year, let us all be guarded by what we say, especially with respect to our religious differences. This is the first time that the contest is between a Christian and a Muslim. Our utterances must be about which of them can help save the nation but not about which religion the person belongs to! The good news for the nation is that both of them have been in governance and we know their strengths very well. If we really leave politics aside and put Mother Ghana first, we would realize that despite the too much politicization; some politicians are decent than others when it comes to being truthful to the electorates.

Whilst others steal the nation with heavy hearts and still do something for the nation, others are just purely in to steal without conscience. These are some of the issues that we should be thinking about as a nation that is thinking about development in a peaceful environment. It does not matter who is ruling Ghana! What matters is whether the person is taking Ghana to the promise land or Ghana is rather retrogressing.

Christians and Muslims in Ghana have been admired for long for their religious tolerance and understanding when it comes to issues of national development, like voting. As the competition is now between a Christian and a Muslim; though His Excellency Former President is half Christian, half Muslim, the expectation is still very high for Ghana. The global community is keenly watching at what will happen during this year’s general elections on 7^th December 2024.

What would prove that Ghanaian Christians and Muslims really love themselves would be determined by how peaceful and transparent this year’s elections would be. With the sort of love that believers of different faiths in Ghana share, I am, however, optimistic but not over complacent that; at the end Ghana will be singing a peace song but not war song. The only way that we can easily do this is when we consider this year’s election as a contest between Ghanaians who all think positively about the welfare of Ghana. Once we deviate from this and see the contest as an unhealthy competition between Christians and Muslims as religious rivals, the nation is already divided.

If you are really patriotic, this is the time to prove this patriotism by being a good citizen that always puts his/her nation first before any other consideration. If we cannot protect the enviable peace that we have been enjoying, no one can do that on our behalf. There is no way that we can protect peace when we allow our porous inherent differences to divide us because of unhealthy competition. As we approach this year’s general elections; think Ghana, think PEACE, think development! 

Thank you for Reading! I wish all Muslims around the globe a Happy Eid-ul Fitri. Alhamdulillah!

Some References

Barker, & Barclay. (2016). Local Competition Increases People's Willingness to Harm Others. Evol Hum Behav, 37(4): 315-322. Doi: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2016.02.001. PMID: 29805247; PMCID: PMC5969529. PubMed.

Google.com. (2015, September 12). The Quran chapter 45. Love your enemy. Retrieved from Islam and the Quran: Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/islamandthequran/quran-chapter-45-love-your-enemy on 01.06.2020 at 4:15AM.

Hebrews. (11:6, KJV, 1611). THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE HEBREWS. In K. James, The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV) (p. 1118). London: Cambridge University Press.

Lawal, N. (2022). Just In: Popular Chief Imam, 3 Other Worshippers Killed as Terrorists Attack Borno Mosque. Nigeria, Retrieved from https://www.legit.ng/nigeria/1490052-tears-terrorists-attack-borno-mosque-kill-imam-3-others on 06.09.2022 at 4:01 AM.

Matthew. (22: 34-40. KJV. 1611). THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. In K. James, The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments (p. 910). London: Cambridge University Press.

Matthew. (5:44-47. KJV. 1611). THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. In K. James, The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments (p. 889). London: Cambridge University Press.

Online, G. (Graphic online). (2023). Bawku Conflict: 27 Pregnant Women Die over Inability to Access Hospital. News, General, Retrieved on 12.03.2023 at 7:12 AM from; http://www.businessghana.com/site/news/General/279805/Bawku-conflict-27-Pregnant-women-die-over-inability-to-access-hospital.

Otten, K. (2022). Human Competition Is Not Lower If Competing Is Socially Wasteful Instead of Socially Beneficial. Sci Rep, Sci Rep. 12:10740. Doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-14891-7. Retrieved from; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-14891-7#citeas on 10.04.2024 at 8:35 PM.

Proverbs. (25:21, KJV). The Proverbs. In K. James, The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments (p. 635). London: Cambridge University Press.

Quran. (2:256).

Quran. (2:82). Surah Al-Baqarah 2: Ayah 82. The Gloriou Quran. Cairo: Printing Press of Bulaq, 1924.

Quran. (5:9). Surah Al-Maidah 5: Ayah 9. The Gloriou Quran. Cairo: Printing Press of Bulaq, 1924.

Quran. (45:30). Surah Al-Jathiya 45: Ayah 30. The Gloriou Quran. Cairo: Printing Press of Bulaq, 1924.

Seidu, S. (2022). Promoting Community-Based Conflict Resolution Can Save Lives. Blog Post, Retrieved from; https://wacsi.org/promoting-community-based-conflict-resolution-can-save-lives/ on 11.03.2023 at 7:30 AM.

Steinhauer, J. (2016, August 19). The Idea of Peace in the Qur’an. Retrieved from Blog: Retrieved from https://blogs.loc.gov/kluge/2016/08/the-idea-of-peace-in-the-quran/ on 01.06.2020 at 10:18PM.